Work car for railways



Feb. 23, 1932. w. ELMER Y woRK CAR FOR RAILWAYS Filed July 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet W01.. lfm

wlw lr);

QJYN

` l N VEN TOR: Wiliam E'Zme BY m TTORNEYS.

N Q uw w aN, Sw Jn m5 v .M U .M m. C d. w\ mwirmw w Feb. 23, 1932. w. ELMER 1,846,095

WORK CAR FOR RAILWAYS Filed July 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR:

W'Zlz'am Elmef;

WI TNESSES TORN E YS Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES WILLIAM ELMER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA WORK CAR FOR RAILWAYS Application filed July 24, 1930. Serial No. 470,383.

My invention relates particularly to work cars for use on railway tracks, the object of the invention, generally stated, being to provide a car, preferably one that is self-pro- '5` pelled, with means thereon for operating power-driven tools such as spike drivers, spike pullers, nutters and the like, the car having mounted thereon a supporting fra-me accomlnodating one or more beams which are l@ adapted to project outwardly from the frame and to hold the tools in a suspended position in which they can be conveniently applied to track work.

I-Ieretofore it has been proposed to mount power tools on work cars by means of brackets or other forms of extensions which do not permit the tools to be moved towards or away from the work car for convenient positioning at the point where the tools are to be applied.

My invention not only facilitates the movenient of the tools to the desired position, but also provides for the simultaneous operation of a number of tools in advance of and in the rear of the work car, thus enabling the ac- D complishment of more work while the car is standing in one place and reducing the time required to complete a particular operation on a section of track. In the practice y of my invention, tools such as spike drivers or 39 spike pullers are preferably spaced at intervals along the support from which they are suspended, these intervals corresponding to the distance between ties or a multiple thereof, and the front and rear supports are disposed with relation to each other, so that when one tool has been brought to the desired location, the other tools suspended from the same support and from the corresponding 40 rear support will all automatically assume their proper positions.

Furthermore, the work car and its appliances are so designed that at the end of the days work the spike pullers, or such other tools as have been used, may be removed from their supporting beams and loaded on the car platform, and the beams pushed back from their extended positions into housings at the sides of the car whereby the work car '50 and its appliances will take up no more room on the track thanthe space occupied by the underframe of the car.

Other advantages and objects of the invention will be more fully apparent from the detailed description hereinafter of one form or embodiment which the invention may take, the description having reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof:

Fig. I represents a plan view of a work car embodying the invention.

Fig. II represents a side View of the same, showing the application of spike-pulling tools to a track rail; and,

Fig. III represents an enlarged end view of the same, taken as indicated by the lines III- III of Fig. II.

In the drawings there is shown a light weight car comprising generally a car body l, wheels 2 and a supporting frame 3,

to be later described. Mounted at one end kof the platform 4, on the car body l, there is a conventional type of gasoline motor, comprehensively designated by the numeral 5, this motor serving to drive a similarly designated air compressor 6, and, 'I5 if desirable, to drive the work car itself. The details of the power mechanism employed form no part, however, of the present invention for the illustration of which I have selected a common form of power unit.

From an air reservoir 7 associated with the compressor 6, leXible hose connections 8, preferably maintained in a position clear of the ground, lead to the power-driven tools being used for track work. In the drawings, spike pulling machines9 are shown in outline in readiness for operation, but it will be apparent that the apparatus is adapted for use with a large variety of tools including spike driving machines, drills, riveters, nut- 99 ting machines, borers and the like.

The framework 3 on the car body 1 which is substantially co-eXtensive in length with the platform 4 preferably comprises a sub- 95 stantially T-shaped structure having upright members l() and transverse members 11 bridging the uprights and overhanging the rails l2 at the sides of the car. Suitable diagonal bracing members 13, 14. prevent the 100 ythewo'rkist'obeperformed. ingthe site ofthe work,'the car is stopped frame from racking and give added rigidity to the structure.

Running longitudinally of the car at the sides thereof are box-shaped girders 15 supported by the overhanging members 11. As shown in Fig. III, the girders 15 are provided `with channels 16 at the sides thereof and channels 17 inthe center forming track ways for the tool-carrying beams 18, which are slidably mounted in the girders 15 by means of wheeled carriers 19,' the wheels 20 bearing on the flanges of the channels 16 and 17. Two tool-carrying beams 18 are employed at each side of the work carythese Abeams being normally housed within the girders 15, but adapted to be manually projected from the frame 3, one beam in arforward and one beam in a rearward direction. To prevent the beams 18 from being pulled outward beyond a certain point, chains 21 are shown attached to the frame 3 at 22 and to the ends of the beams 18 at 23, but other suitable means such as stops may obviously be used for this purpose.

It willbe noted that there'is .a-pair of beams-18 at each side of the work car, and that each set of beams includes one member disposed directly above the inside edge of the flange of a rail 12 andianother member directly disposed aboveV the outside edge of the rail flange. Accordingly, when two beams aremoved endwise from their housings, one forward andone rearward from the work car, the spike pulling tools are moved longitudinally ofthe rail directly above the lineJOfSpikeS, andthe tools can, therefore, lbe .quickly positioned for opera-tion, they forward tools beingapplied to spikes at one side of; therail Vand the. rearward tools being-applied to spikes at the other'side of the rail.

Each tool 9 is suspended by a iiexible connection24 includingal spring .'25, the weight nof the tool being carried on the beamvand the Vtool vhaving suficient` flexibility for adjustment and'proper manipulation by the -operfator. The points of attachment 26 for the tools on the beams 18 are; provided at spaced intervals with a distance between them correspondingv to a multiple of the distanoebe- .tween ties, rand,theprearbeams are'so dis- 'posed'with relation tothe forward beams that when the beams are fully extended the distance between any tool at the rear and any tool at the front of thev work car will equal .amultiple of the distance between ties. In

the example illustrated the tools vare spaced at a distance of four feet from each other, the ties being spaced two feet apart.

When the work car is to be placed inoperation itis driven to the locality at which Upon approachand *the beams'18 are manually runout hefyond the limits of the framework 3 to the position shown in Fig. II, one forwardly Vand one rearwardly from the supporting frame 3. Ordinarily only one pair of beams is selected depending upon which rail is to be worked on. The tools to be used are then taken from the car platform 4 and suspended o from the beams 18 at the points of attachment 26 with their respective hose': connections 8 coupled totheair reservoir 7 vand maintained clear .of the ground. The operator of the work car then proceeds to move the ca r with v the tools suspended as "described, until he sees that ,onetool is substantially in registry with the center of a tie. At this point the car is stopped, Vand itwill be found that each tool is positioned above a tie, the distance between the points ofzattachment :26 onthe-'forward beam an-d. the points yoff-attachment 26 on the rearbeambeing equal to a multiple ofthe distance'between'ties fThe tools-.are

now in readinessfor operation. fDue to the 'g5 which thework is to be performed. vWhile so the weight of tools is carried on the beams' 18, the springsQpermit the operators to fhandily force the tools downward to engagement with rail spikes. lAfter the desired-'work has been performed upon.onesetA of ties, `the -work '-95 car is propelled.v -to anotherzset fof ties,.andV it will Abe observed that the frontV and rear-,tools are so spaced with respect to eachother that repetition can be avoided. Inother words the car may be movedso that in each new .po- T.100

sitiona diiferentset of ties-willbe in registr with the toolstand no tie of asectionof track will be skipped. A vvFrom the :abovedescriptionit willi .heapparent that with the oar at rest, twogangs of "T operators can be set to work, Vone inzadvance .of the work car and one in thefrear,and.t.he operations -on fourties 'canbe completed'. be-

fore it is necessaryto, progressv the .caralong .thel track. By `an obvious modification=:six'?110 tools may .bei usedand six workerseinployed simultaneously on six ties. .When the work `on-a sectionfof track hasbeen. completed; fthe 4tools Aare yremovedfrom vtheir .supporting beams 18, and the beams are returnedto their ifi-15 housings Yin the ,girders 15.

While I -have described myV inventionwith l reference to one embodiment thereof in which specific instrumentalities have `been, selected for performing the various. functionsfof the "(20 work car; it will be appa-rent, especiallyto those skilled in the art, that various changes define'din the appended claims.

"Having -f thus Y' described any i1 invention, I cla-im:

" 1. A fwoi'k car I fori use lon. railway;tracks'y S? having a supporting frame mounted thereon, beams normally housed within said frame and having capacity for endwise movement longitudinally of the rails, and a plurality of power driven tools suspended at spaced intervals from said beams, one of said beams extending forwardly from said supporting frame at one side of a rail and another of said beams extending rearwardly from said supporting frame at the other side of said rail.

2. A work car for use on railway tracks having a supporting frame mounted thereon, a beam normally housed within said frame and adapted to be projected outward from said frame longitudinally of the rails to a position above the edge of a rail flange, and a plurality of power driven tools suspended from said beam at spaced intervals corre sponding to a multiple of the distance between rail ties.

3. A work car for use on railway tracks having a supporting frame mounted thereon including overhead tracks disposed at the sides thereof, beams having rollers bearing on said tracks, said beams being adapted to be projected outward from said frame longi tudinally of the rails, and power driven tools suspended from said beams.

t. A work car for use on railway tracks having a substantially Tsshaped supporting frame mounted thereon including an upright portion and portions overhanging the rails at each side, and two sets of tool-carrying beams normally housed in said overhanging portions, each set of beams, comprising a beam adapted to project forwardly from said frame to a position at one side of a rail and a beam adapted to project rearwardly from said frame to a position at the other side of said rail.

5. A work car for use on railway tracks having a supporting frame mounted thereon including box girders at the sides thereof, and tool-carrying beams longitudinally slidable within said box girders, said beams being normally housed in said box girders and adapted to be projected outward from said frame to a position parallel with and above the edges of rail flanges.

6. A work car for use on railway tracks having' a supporting frame mounted thereon, beams normally housed within said frame and having capacity for endwise movement longitudinally of the rails, a plurality of power driven tools suspended at spaced intervals from said beams, one of said beams extending forwardly from said supporting frame at one side of a rail and another of said beams extending rearwardly from said supporting frame at the other side of said rail, and means for limiting the outward travel of said front and rear beams whereby when said beams are in their extended positions the distance between tools on the front and rear beams will equal a multiple of the distance between ties.

7. A work car for use on railway tracks having a supporting frame mounted thereon, tool carrying beams arranged in pairs at each side of said frame and normally housed therein, said beams having capacity for endwise movement beyond the limits of the frame to extended positions above the edges of rail flanges, one beam of each pair being adapted for forward movement, and the other beam of each pair being adapted for rearward movement.

8. A work car for use on railway tracks having a platform, a supporting frame mounted on said platform and substantially ooextensive with the length thereof, and a tool carrying beam normally housed within said frame and having capacity for endwise propulsion beyond the limits of the frame to xtended position above the edge of a rail an e.

9.gA work car for use on railway tracks having a platform, a supporting frame `mounted on said platform and substantially coextensive with the length thereof, a tool carrying beam normally housed within said frame with the tool resting on the side of the platform', and means whereby said beam may be propelled in the direction of its length to n extended position above the edge of arail ange.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 22 day of July 1930.

wILLiAM ELMER. 

